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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Another 'friend' state of the USA

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/15/egypt-us-provide-security-assistance-despite-repression

Egypt extends crackdown on Gaza activism with student arrests

Egypt has detained several students who were trying to promote pro-Palestinian boycotts of Israeli companies and solidarity campaigns.

The students are among dozens of people held in connection with protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, some of them detained in October when state-sanctioned rallies spilled over to unauthorised sites, including Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an independent Cairo-based group, at least 125 people have been arrested since the Gaza war began in October. Ninety-five are still being held in pre-trial detention on charges including membership in a banned group and spreading false news.

Three students were arrested this month over their attempt to create a group called Students for Palestine, according to Nabeh el-Ganadi, a human rights lawyer. They include Ziad Bassiouny, 22, a student at an arts institute in Giza.

About 40 members of Egypt’s security forces were deployed to arrest Bassiouny at his apartment on May 9, his mother, Fayza Hendawy, said.

 

‘Rewards terror’: Israel’s Gantz questions France’s barring of Israeli delegation

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says he has spoken to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal about Paris’s decision to bar an Israeli delegation from participating in the Eurosatory Security Fair.

“I emphasised to him the decision ultimately rewards terror, and asked that France re-consider the decision,” he said in post on X.

Earlier, we reported organisers of the event confirmed Israel will not have a stand at the annual exhibition.



Countries urge WHO action on ‘wanton destruction of health facilities’

World Health Organization member states have overwhelmingly voted for a resolution calling for a donor conference to fund the vast health needs in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It also demanded more reporting on the “catastrophic” situation in Gaza and Israel’s “wanton destruction of health facilities”. The vote went through after Israel ensured the text was expanded to include a call for the release of all captives held in Gaza.

Any decision “that does not demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages is an unforgivable moral failure”, Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar said at the World Health Assembly, the annual gathering in Geneva of the WHO’s 194 member states.

After days of diplomatic wrangling and mutual accusations of politicisation of what was meant to be a technical text, the amended resolution was approved by a key assembly committee with 102 votes in favour. Only six countries, including Israel and the US, opposed the resolution while 69 countries with voting rights abstained or were absent.



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SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Neighbourhood in Gaza City hit by new Israeli bombardment

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report several people have been killed and others wounded following an Israeli attack in the vicinity of the Salah al-Din Mosque in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in northern Gaza.

The report comes amid Israel’s announcement earlier it is withdrawing its troops from several areas in northern Gaza after a three-week operation that levelled about 1,000 buildings.

WFP director describes ‘horrific and apocalyptic’ scenes in Rafah

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in southern Gaza’s Rafah have been displaced again because of the Israeli military’s offensive in the area and have been forced to abandon limited support networks they relied on.

“The sounds and smells of everyday life are horrific and apocalyptic,” according to Matthew Hollingworth, Palestine country director at the World Food Programme (WFP).

“People sleep and wake to the sounds of bombing, drones and war. And now tanks are rolling into parts of central Rafah, which is only kilometres away” from the designated areas where Palestinians have been forced to go, he said during a virtual briefing with reporters.

“I have spoken to so many people over the last few days when I was in Gaza who asked me, ‘Shall I leave? Should we try to storm the border with Egypt? Should we try to go back to Gaza City? What should we do? We don’t know what to do. Where can I get the aid I used to know where to get?’”


‘Access denied’: Rafah invasion has halted aid distribution

Matthew Hollingworth, the Palestine country director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), says “ever decreasing” amounts of humanitarian aid are getting to southern Gaza since the Israeli invasion of Rafah.

“Rafah is still closed as a border crossing. WFP bakeries in Rafah have all closed down for the lack of fuel and constant supplies being impossible,” said Hollingworth.

“From May 7 to May 20, not a single WFP truck crossed from the southern corridors of Egypt into Rafah or into the central areas. And we were unable to access our main warehouse to the south because it was in an evacuation zone, and since then, we have lost that warehouse entirely, including its entire contents of 2,700 tonnes of food that’s either been looted or destroyed because of the fighting around southeastern areas of Rafah.”


Dozens of bodies recovered after Israeli withdrawal from Jabalia

Gaza’s civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal provided updates on the devastation at the Jabalia refugee camp after Israeli troops withdrew from the northern area:

  • Dozens of bodies have been recovered, including 30 from a single family, 22 of whom were children and women.
  • Most of the bodies recovered in Jabalia so far have been of children and women. The search is continuing in the rubble for more missing people.
  • Many homes and much of the infrastructure in the camp has been completely destroyed.
  • The Israeli military completely destroyed the main electrical generators in Kamal Adwan Hospital, along with the fifth floor of the al-Awda Hospital.


Homes and public facilities in Jabalia have been laid to waste after Israeli military operations

Water, sanitation services in Gaza City remain a severe challenge: Mayor

Yahya al-Sarraj just spoke to Al Jazeera Arabic about the dire situation in the war-battered city.

  • “The Israeli occupation systematically targeted municipal services and facilities in the Gaza Strip.”
  • “The occupation aims to empty the residential cities and displace all the people.”
  • “We have great challenges, the most important of which is providing water and sanitation services.”
  • “We are still unable to open streets because of vast amounts of rubble, which is hampering the provision of emergency services.”
  • “Our services do not meet what is required and we cannot respond to the complaints we receive.”



SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Biden: Israel has proposed a ‘comprehensive new proposal’

Biden says during a speech on the war on Gaza that Israel has put forward a new ceasefire proposal that has been transmitted to Hamas via Qatar.

“That’s been the focus – a durable end to this war, one that brings all the hostages home, ensures Israel’s security, creates a better day in Gaza without Hamas in power and sets the stage for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the US president said.

Biden said the new proposal is “a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages”.

“This is truly a decisive moment. Hamas needs to take the deal. It’s time to end this war that they began,” Biden said.


‘We can’t lose this moment’: Biden urges Israel, Hamas to take the deal

“As someone who’s had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent the US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back, think what will happen if this moment is lost,” Biden said.

“We can’t lose this moment.”

Can you be any more one-sided. Hamas already agreed to “a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages” although I suspect its missing the retreat of the military part... What's not stated will be the sticking point.


Biden lays out 3-phase plan leading to ‘permanent cessation of hostilities’

The US president emphasised the new proposal that Israel presented includes “a cessation of hostilities permanently”, one of the sticking points in previous talks. Here’s how he laid out a three-phase plan:

  • A six-week initial phase includes a “full and complete ceasefire”; the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza; and the release of a number of captives, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. American hostages would be freed at this stage.
  • The remains of dead captives would be returned to their families. Palestinian civilians would return to their homes in neighbourhoods across Gaza, including in the north. Humanitarian assistance would surge with 600 trucks entering Gaza every day. Hundreds of thousands of tents would be distributed by the international community.
  • A second phase includes an exchange of all remaining living captives, including male soldiers, along with a full withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza.
  • The third phase would include commencement of “a major reconstruction plan for Gaza” and a final return of any remains of captives.

It might work, it is very similar to the deal Hamas accepted right before the Rafah invasion.

How does the White House envision ceasefire implementation?

Biden says everything laid out in the first phase of the Israeli proposal is expected to “begin immediately” if Hamas agrees to a deal. He said after phase one is in motion, Hamas and Israel will begin negotiations on phase two, which includes a permanent end to hostilities.

“The proposal says if the negotiations take longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue. US, Egypt and Qatar will work to ensure negotiations keep going until agreements are reached for phase two to begin.”

“I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the government coalition, and they’ve made it clear that they want to occupy Gaza, they want to keep fighting for years and the hostages are not a priority for them. Well, I urge the government of Israel to stand behind this deal despite whatever pressure comes.”

And there is the sticking point, how to get the war cabinet to approve the deal. So 'Israel' did not propose this themselves, or at least not the government if they still need to be persuaded to stand behind this deal.

More from Biden on new Gaza truce proposal

Biden says Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel as he urges Israelis and Hamas to come to a truce agreement.

“Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.” The proposal is the best way to begin winding down the deadly conflict, the US president added. “With a ceasefire, aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it,” Biden said.

Hamas said on Thursday that it told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during “ongoing aggression” but is ready for a “complete agreement”, including an exchange of captives and prisoners, if Israel stops the war.

Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and others to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly stalled, and both sides have blamed the other for the lack of progress.



SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

‘Biden is trying to be the salesperson for the Israeli government’

The latest ceasefire initiative outlined by President Biden is another version of what has been already proposed.

I think Biden is trying to be the salesperson for the Israeli government as he tries to peddle another version of its proposals that don’t utter clearly, simply, and comprehensively the words “permanent ceasefire”.

You would think after eight months of war – after the destruction of Gaza that we haven’t seen in the past 15 years anywhere – for the American president not to be able to stand behind the idea of a permanent ceasefire is really bewildering.

Israeli leaders are really periled at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Their standing in the region and the world is at its lowest ever. The United States and the Biden administration, in particular, are suffering terribly because of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. And that’s why I think President Biden needs this today. They need some sort of transitional quiet, if possible, so the pressure at home and abroad ends.

 

President Biden ‘putting himself on the line’ with truce announcement

Palestinian political analyst Nour Odeh says the ceasefire proposal Biden announced does not appear to be different “in any fundamental way” from those previously presented.

What was striking, however, is that the US president “put himself on the line”, Odeh told Al Jazeera.

“He said the US would guarantee that Israel keeps its end of the bargain so long as the mediators can bring Hamas to accept the deal and keep up its end of the bargain,” she said.

“This is the first time we hear from the president of the United States, the most important ally of Israel, saying, ‘This deal is on the table, it’s good and everybody should take it.’ And I think it will be difficult for Hamas to resist the kind of pressure that will be applied on it, no doubt.”



Gaza war will not end until ‘all goals achieved’: Israeli PM’s office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza war won’t end until the “elimination” of Hamas’s capacity to make war and govern.

“The prime minister authorised the negotiating team to present an outline for achieving this goal, while insisting the war will not end until all of its goals are achieved, including the return of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The comments come shortly after US President Biden urged Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire proposal, which he said Israel drew up.

 

All eyes on Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners after Biden speech

What’s interesting in this speech is that Joe Biden said this proposal won’t go down well with some people in the current Israeli government.

That’s in reference to those far-right ministers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. They have made it very clear they want to resettle Gaza and stay as long as possible in terms of the war.

When it comes to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s also been attacked by the families of those held captive, saying he’s stopping a ceasefire deal for his own political gain and his own political interests to stay in government. This is a person on trial for corruption from before this coalition government was formed. He needs the likes of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to be able to stay in power.



SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

‘War has to end now’: EU’s top diplomat backs truce proposal

Josep Borrell has lent his support to the new three-phase plan to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

“All our support to Biden roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of hostages leading to a permanent cessation of hostilities, withdrawal of [Israeli army] and reconstruction efforts to commence,” he said.

“The war has to end now.”


Biden might face some opposition at home as well

US Congress invites Israel’s PM Netanyahu to address lawmakers

Democratic and Republican leaders in the US Congress invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address within weeks to lawmakers, House Speaker Mike Johnson says.

“We join the state of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability,” said an invitation from Johnson signed by all four party leaders in the House and Senate.

Hamas ready to ‘engage positively’ based on permanent ceasefire

Hamas says it’s ready to “engage positively and constructively with any proposal” based on “a permanent ceasefire”.

“Hamas looks positively on the remarks in US President Joe Biden’s speech today, and his call for a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and prisoner exchange,” a statement said.

Hamas added it wants the “return of the displaced to their homes throughout Gaza and completing a serious prisoner-exchange deal if the occupation [Israel] explicitly commits to that”.

“We consider this American position and the regional and international convictions of the need to put an end to the war on Gaza to be a result of the legendary steadfastness of our people and their courageous resistance,” it said.

‘Hamas must accept this deal’: UK Foreign Minister Cameron

David Cameron says Hamas must accept the Gaza war proposal the US president announced on behalf of Israel.

“As we’ve long argued a stop in the fighting can be turned into a permanent peace if we are all prepared to take the right steps. Let’s seize this moment and bring this conflict to an end,” Cameron wrote.



Barking up the wrong tree... Netanyahu must accept this deal.


‘Genocide must end,’ American Muslim rights group says after Biden speech

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it supports the ceasefire proposal detailed by Biden “if he is telling the truth”.

“The genocide and US support for it must end. US military aid for Israel’s occupation must end,” CAIR said in a statement.

“Israeli leaders must be held accountable at the International Criminal Court for the crimes they have committed. Gaza must be rebuilt and the Palestinian people must be able to live in peace and justice in a free and independent state.”





I'm not getting my hopes up. Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich are the ones that need to be convinced and they are dead set on continuing the war in order to stay in power. Biden is trying to pull a fast one on them, he better back it up with real threats of sanctions and no more military aid to get the deal done.

The realist in me says, this is just another distraction from the fact Israel has confirmed they are in central Gaza and continue to destroy the last remaining town in Gaza.


‘This is the deal Netanyahu has already said no to’

Omar Baddar, a US-based political analyst, tells Al Jazeera the Gaza truce proposal announced by Biden appears similar to previous ones.

“This is a proposal that was effectively present from day one. Since October to this day, this is effectively the deal that was on the table, and it was Israeli rejectionism that kept us from achieving that deal where there’s an end in the war in exchange for hostages and prisoners,” Baddar said.

“President Biden understands having this war drag well past his election is not going to be something that actually works for him politically. … I think that this is why he’s putting his foot down at this point and placing enormous pressure upon Israel to accept the ceasefire deal.

“He’s presenting it as an Israeli offer, interestingly enough, but I think that’s more of a means to try to put Netanyahu in a spot where it becomes more difficult for him to say no to this. Because we know that this is the deal Netanyahu has already said no to.”



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SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Ex-Mossad boss compares threats to ICC prosecutor to mafia tactics

A former chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency says he’s shocked by reports of threats made against an International Criminal Court prosecutor not to investigate alleged war crimes, comparing it to a move by an Italian mafia group.

The Guardian reported this week that ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen threatened former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to dissuade her from looking into alleged war crimes committed by Israel.

Tamir Pardo, whom Cohen replaced as Mossad’s chief in 2016, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz he cannot believe “any employee of the Mossad would do things of the type described”.

“This is at the extreme of things that must not be done. It sounds like Cosa Nostra-style blackmail,” Pardo is quoted as saying, referring to the feared Sicilian Mafia.

Cohen’s covert contact to pressure Bensouda took place in the years leading up to her decision to open a formal probe into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestinian territory.

Sure he would say that, must be one rotten apple, not policy at all... It took from 2015 (Januari 1st claim filed) until 2021 for the court to even start an investigation. This has been going on a long time.


Large crowds march in Yemen after deadly US, UK air strikes

In Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, many people protested as part of weekly demonstrations to express solidarity with Palestinians.

The latest march comes after US and UK air strikes last night killed 16 people and wounded another 35, according to Houthi media.




Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah promises retaliation for US, UK attacks on Yemen

Kataib Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned armed group that’s part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, signalled its truce with the US-led coalition in the region may be over after the deadly US and British air strikes on Yemen.

The group said in a statement, “The enemy will receive blow after blow from us,” adding: “We will not hesitate to provide all forms of support to our Yemeni brothers.”

The Iraqi groups largely stopped their many attacks on US positions in Iraq and Syria after the turmoil in the aftermath of three American soldiers being killed in Jordan.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq began launching attacks in support of the besieged people of Gaza and against the US backing of Israel’s war.




SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

‘Massive destruction’: Israeli army destroyed UN shelters in Jabalia

The Israeli military engaged in wide-scale destruction of infrastructure in Jabalia during its three-week siege in northern Gaza, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

“In addition to the crimes of premeditated killings, arbitrary arrests, and targeting of civilians, the Israeli military operation in Jabalia has resulted in massive destruction,” the Geneva-based group said in a report.

“The attacks have destroyed entire residential blocks and impacted hundreds of homes and buildings in the camp, including shelter centres, UNRWA-affiliated medical and food centres, and UNRWA-funded water wells,” it said, referring to the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees.

“A field inspection of the conditions in the Jabalia camp after the Israeli withdrawal revealed that not a single residential building was spared from bombing, bulldozing, or burning operations.”



A third of Gaza has been made uninhabitable

Philadelpi Corridor is next



SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Barack Obama backs ceasefire plan presented by Biden

The former US president says the Gaza war endgame presented by Biden is “clear, realistic and just”.

Obama said it won’t undo the impact of the devastating war but could stop the killing and get aid to desperate Palestinians.

“As the tragedy in Gaza has unfolded over the past eight months, we’ve witnessed an often fierce public debate here at home – and around the world – regarding how the United States should respond. But no matter where each of us stand in these broader debates, an enduring ceasefire is something we should all support – for the sake of Israelis, Palestinians and the world at large.”



It's the same ceasefire endgame plan as in December, but hey it's Biden saying it now... Now tell Israel to accept the deal.


Biden announcement acknowledges ‘failure of the Israeli war on Gaza’

Mustafa Barghouti from the Palestinian National Initiative says after Biden’s new truce deal announcement what needs to be heard is if Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu “really accepts his own offer – if it is his own offer”.

“Hamas and other resistance groups must insist on a clear statement by Netanyahu that he is really supporting this particular proposal,” Barghouti told Al Jazeera.

He said a crucial point about Biden’s announcement is that it shows that “Israel and the United States are both admitting failure of the Israeli war on Gaza in the sense it’s failed to achieve all its goals”.





Barking up the wrong tree again

Blinken tells Jordanian FM ceasefire deal would allow ‘surge’ of aid to Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has “emphasised” to Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi that Hamas should accept a new US-backed ceasefire deal tabled by Israel, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Miller said the deal would “facilitate a surge of humanitarian assistance” to Gaza and allow “displaced Palestinians to return to their neighbourhoods”.

Blinken wrote in his own post on X that he had spoken with several of his “counterparts in the region” about the proposal.

“We have a chance to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people with [the] ceasefire deal that is on the table,” he said.




I guess we'll see tomorrow whether Ben Gvir and Smotrich can be persuaded since they hold the key to Netanyahu staying in power.


Meanwhile

Clashes reported as Israeli forces storm Jenin area

The Israeli military has stormed the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp, resulting in an outbreak of confrontations with Palestinian groups, the Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli forces have also stormed the town of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin, deploying snipers on the roofs of buildings, flying drones, and raiding several homes, resulting in clashes with Palestinian groups.

Israeli raids have been reported elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, including:

  • The Shuweika suburb, north of Tulkarem
  • The Jaidi neighbourhood of Qalqilya
  • The town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron



SvennoJ on 31 May 2024

Possibly a ‘matter of a few days’ before final announcement on ceasefire proposal

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra said the reaction from Hamas to the ceasefire proposal announced by Joe Biden was positive and they appear to be signalling that they are ready to “move ahead”.

“Hamas is basically now telling us that they are willing to move ahead with the agreement and that it is just a matter of time before this is finalised,” Ahelbarra said.

“They’ve been for months saying that it’s the Americans who are providing the Israelis with cover. It is the Americans who are responsible for what is happening to the people of Gaza. Today they are saying that they are looking positively at the content of this speech of Joe Biden,” he said.

“And that they are willing to move ahead, bearing in mind that they would like to see their demands met, which is basically what they have been saying over some time: They would like to see a permanent ceasefire, which is in phase two [of the proposal]. They would like to see a complete pullout of Israeli soldiers from Gaza, which is in phase two. And that they would like to see Gaza reconstructed.”

“I have never seen Hamas reacting this way.”

“It could be an indication that we are likely – if the Israelis say ‘let’s go ahead’ – that It’s just going be a matter of a few days before we have a final announcement.”

Yeah, it all depends on Israel's war cabinet actually agreeing to the ceasefire proposal. The one big difference this time is that Biden is openly backing it, even saying Israel has proposed it. Feels like a lie to put pressure on Netanyahu, pretty much the last thing Biden can do before actually pulling support.

German FM welcomes news US-backed ceasefire proposal

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said that a new ceasefire proposal announced by US President Joe Biden “provides a glimpse of hope and a possible path out of the war’s deadlock”.

“It is now up to Hamas to prove their commitment to ending the conflict,” she wrote on X.

Spin it all you want, the ball is in Netanyahu, Gvir and Smotrich's court. But I guess it helps save face for Netanyahu by pretending Hamas is the one that needs to be convinced. They do need to be convinced it's an honest proposal.



Says the co-defender of Israel at the ICJ. You've been tirelessly working to keep the war going.

Biden proven unreliable and untrustworthy regarding Israel war on Gaza

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara has called US President Joe Biden one of the “most unreliable and untrustworthy American leaders in decades”, adding that he has never seen a US president “so shamelessly and shamefully supporting the war crimes of a foreign leader”.

Bishara said Biden has demonstrated a lack of leadership in his handling of Israel’s war on Gaza. He suggests that Biden’s approach has faltered, lacking the necessary clarity and resolve demanded by such a complex and sensitive issue.

Scathing but very true.



hellobion2 on 01 June 2024

It seems that the two-state solution is the onely one left at this rate. 



BiON!@